This invention relates generally to a storage container having a removable sleeve, and, more specifically, to a storage container having a removable sleeve that includes an outer overlapping portion which is secured to at least one separation section within an inner overlapped portion, the separation section being defined at least partially by a scored line.
The storage container of the present invention is suitable to store a variety of items from dry goods to dairy products. Generally, a storage container must be capable of withstanding the stress of loading, transportation, and use while being simple and inexpensive to manufacture and assemble. One manner of accomplishing these goals is to provide a receptacle surrounded by a positively closely positioned sleeve. There are several advantages to this type of storage container. First, the sleeve provides reinforcement to the receptacle so that the receptacle requires less material. Second the sleeve provides an area for a label or an advertisement that may be applied to the sleeve before it is positioned on the receptacle. Printing in this manner is often less complicated than printing on the receptacle itself.
Besides being sturdy and inexpensive, a storage container also should be capable of being disposed of after use in an efficient manner. Often, the most efficient way to dispose of a used storage container is to recycle the container. However, if the storage container has several components, then a user must separate those components before they can be recycled. Unfortunately, a user may forego the option to recycle if it is too difficult or time-consuming to separate a storage container into its component parts. Therefore, it is advantageous to provide a storage container that a person may quickly and easily break down into its component parts. Thus, for a storage container comprised of a receptacle surrounded by a sleeve, the sleeve must be quickly and easily removable.
One example of a packing container having a circumferential reinforcing sleeve is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,025,981, which discloses a plastic packing container with a positively closely held cardboard sleeve. The cardboard sleeve includes a predetermined separation strip, which is a portion of the sleeve that tears or is torn away from the sleeve to permit a complete severing of the sleeve, a gripping tab, and a weakening line. For separating the cardboard sleeve from the otherwise plastic packing container, the gripping tab is drawn radially outwards, so that the predetermined separation strip is separated from the cardboard sleeve along the weakening line, which is comprised of angular incisions, arranged in rows, that extend for substantially the from the upper edge to the lower edge of the cardboard sleeve, with the incisions penetrating the cardboard sleeve. Thus, to produce the sleeve disclosed in this invention, a manufacturer must make a relatively complicated cardboard sleeve part having a perforation line, two incisions and a top edge that is shaped at one end to form a gripping tab. A simpler sleeve would be easier to use and produce. Although sufficient, the packing container of this patent may be improved, particularly with respect to the complicated design and construction of the sleeve.
Accordingly, the purpose of this invention is to provide a storage container having a removable sleeve that is simple to manufacture, assemble and use.